


A Little Birdy Told Me

by Junoro



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, The rarest of pairs, wholesome fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-13 16:56:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20585876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Junoro/pseuds/Junoro
Summary: During a battle, Marianne receives a foreboding message about one of her closest allies.





	A Little Birdy Told Me

Marianne wiped grime off her cheek and took a steadying breath. The sounds of war still echoed across the battlefield, but she was far enough back that she wasn’t in any immediate danger. The fighting was thickest in the west, and she needed to close the gap, and soon, or she’d be too far away to help her friends. She picked up her skirts and began to run. 

As she crested a small hill, a sudden rustling noise came from the bushes beside her. She gulped and held up her hands, readying Nosferatu in case of an ambush. A yellow songbird flew out, and she relaxed. “You startled me,” she said softly as it wheeled overhead, and turned to go.

The bird gave a loud trill. _Danger._

The sensation rocketed up her spine like lightning, and Marianne craned her head to catch sight of the bird again. Overhead, it circled once, twice, and then made a beeline to the south. She hesitated, but then something all-too familiar shifted in her blood. 

With a gulp, she picked up her skirts and followed after the bird, heart hammering in her chest. It flitted above her, always staying just ahead, leading her forward through the bush. Danger to a bird was much different than danger to a human. Hopefully, she could scare off whatever was bothering the bird by her presence alone. 

She smelled it before she saw it. 

Rank, chaotic magic permeated the air, and Marianne forced herself to take shallow breaths as she broke through the bush. Her heart dropped. In the clearing couched a monstrous wolf, a growl tearing from its throat as it noticed her. And facing it, all alone, was Raphael. 

His shirt was stained and torn, the top button gone. On his hands were gauntlets, but they didn’t look like they’d last much longer. The wolf growled at her again, and Raphael looked over his shoulder. His entire face lit up. “Marianne! I knew you would come!”

“Look out!” she cried, and Raphael just barely dodged a swipe from the wolf’s fearsome claws. Quickly, she summoned her healing magic, casting Physic as Raphael staggered. The magic boosted him away from the wolf’s second attack, and he let out a roar as he struck back, his gauntlet slamming into the beast’s head with a loud _crunch_. The wolf yowled, convulsed, and then fell to the ground, slain. 

Marianne let out all her breath in a gasp, falling to her knees. Raphael came running to her side, offering his hand for her to grasp. She took it gratefully, her legs like jelly as she got to her feet. “Thanks, Marianne,” he said, his other hand on her back to steady her. “That was a pretty close call, huh?”

She noticed the true shape of his gauntlets with sudden clarity. _Broken. If he hadn’t had that lucky hit…_ “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, shaking her head. “I shouldn’t have fallen so far behind. If it wasn’t for that bird – “

“Hey,” he said, thumb gently lifting her chin. She blinked her watery eyes, surprised to see genuine concern on his face. “You’ve got nothing to apologize for. In fact, you saved my life! I’m just glad the bird understood me when I asked it to find you.”

“You… asked it to find me?”

His smile spread from ear to ear. “Yep! I told it to look for a really nice girl with cornflower hair. Thanks for coming so quickly, Marianne.”

The two of them started walking back through the bush. She still leaned his arm, but Raphael eased any awkwardness with small talk about how his sister would pick cornflowers and string them together in the summer. Marianne’s heart slowly began to beat normally. In the surrounding leaves, the fear of battle felt far away. 

A flash of yellow, and the songbird landed on Raphael’s head. She half-expected him to jump in shock, but he froze and looked at her, eyes wide. “What’s it doing?” he whispered loudly. 

The bird cocked its head and chirped. Then, it took a strand of Raphael’s hair in its beak. “Oh-“ she started, but then it took off, yanking out his hair in the process.

“Ouch!” Raphael ran a careful hand through his hair. “What was that for?”

Marianne giggled, and he looked down at her, clearly curious. “I think it wanted your hair for its nest!” she said.

A matching smile spread across Raphael’s face. “Oh, well if that’s the case, it could’ve taken more! I owe it big time, for delivering my message.” He looked up at the sky. “And for cheep cheep, too!”

“Cheep cheep?” she asked.

Raphael’s smile could rival the sun, but Marianne found she could look at him without shying away. “I wanted to thank it for letting me see your smile,” he said.

“Oh,” Marianne said, feeling heat flood to her cheeks. Automatically, her gaze fell to the ground, but her grip tightened on his arm. “Please be more careful, all right? I… I would stop smiling if anything happened to you.”

“You’ve got it,” he promised, and Marianne smiled again, looking at the ground from shyness, for once, rather than shame.


End file.
